I rode my mare (Dora) today outside of her comfort zone and she was spectacular! I just wanted to burst she did so well She has always been an anxious horse, not terribly bad on the ground, but always under saddle. She only rode calmly if she were in a round pen or an arena due to the person that trained her never rode her outside of one and she was used strictly for showing. I have been working with her off and on for awhile just riding in the pasture but I had time constraints (working full time, new mom, husband works away) so I never pushed her much and just stuck to what made her feel safe. I don't work anymore and the baby is now old enough to be in Pre-K so I have free time to spend working Dora. Today, finally, she actually calmed and I was able to ride on a very loose rein without her snorting and side stepping everything. In the past she has always been so occupied with everything scary she paid me no attention when out in the open. I was able to work solely off leg ques and didn't have to be in her mouth at all. She did so well that I took her into our overgrown back pasture for a bit, and even though she was very fast and I could tell the least little thing was going to make her spazz, she still stayed at a walk and listened. During the days leading up to this I was really starting to get discouraged, but this has given me new hope that we've conquered the "scared of grass" hurdle and I'm on to more pleasurable rides.

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